European Narcos - Part 1 - The Wealth of a Nation
May 6, 2026Trailer: European Narcos
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The first part of this documentary shows how the Netherlands became the European hub for narcotics.
As early as the 17th century, Dutch colonialism laid the foundation for a lucrative drug trade. Opium from Indonesia financed the rise of the trading empire. This was followed by the cultivation of coca plants on Java - which formed the basis for Amsterdam's early cocaine production. Even when international bans officially ended the trade during World War I, the system survived, underground. In the interwar period, an illegal market emerged and continues to have an impact today.
After the Second World War, drug trafficking initially seemed to be a thing of the past. But the 1960s brought radical change: with the rise of counterculture, demand grew for hashish from Morocco and heroin from the Indian subcontinent. The Netherlands responded with a unique strategy - the separation of so-called hard and soft drugs. Coffee shops were aimed at regulating consumption. But criminal structures became entrenched. Figures such as Klaas Bruinsma, the "Dutch Al Capone,” became powerful drug lords.
In the 1990s, the country became the epicenter of synthetic drugs: ecstasy pills flooded Europe, and the profits flowed into real estate and the real economy. When the old underworld generation disappeared, young criminals from working-class neighborhoods took over. Their focus was on cocaine, the ‘new’ profitable drug. The documentary shows how colonial trade routes gave rise to a modern network that continues to shape Europe's drug market to this day.
Broadcasting Hours:
DW English
WED 20.05.2026 – 01:15 UTC
WED 20.05.2026 – 04:15 UTC
THU 21.05.2026 – 09:15 UTC
THU 21.05.2026 – 14:15 UTC
THU 21.05.2026 – 21:15 UTC
FRI 22.05.2026 – 07:15 UTC
FRI 22.05.2026 – 12:15 UTC
SAT 23.05.2026 – 02:15 UTC
SUN 24.05.2026 – 08:15 UTC
MON 25.05.2026 – 10:15 UTC
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